Friday, September 16, 2011

Entertainment Tonight

We have television service! Digital+ was here Thursday afternoon and within 10 minutes our television service was up and running. I don't know what the first installer was playing at last week, but we did not in fact need an antenna or satellite dish. Everything was already here on the roof. Yesterday's installer arrived, inserted a tester into the outlet on the wall behind the TV, and gave me the thumbs up. He then plugged in and set up the box, and then dialed in to set up our premium service. And he was done. We can watch BBC News, every sports network in existence (maybe an exaggeration), movies and shows from all over the world, and Jennifer Love Hewitt in "Ghost Whisperer" — in English — until we're blue in the face (which means we can't make it through a single episode; she makes us both a little crazy).

FLAMENCA ABOVE A WORKING TELEVISION.

THIS OLD HOUSEI picked up the framed "Flamenca" yesterday. She wasn't matted as we'd expected and instead was mounted atop the board. Chalk it up to another lesson in communication. We still love her anyway and she has now taken her position of prominence in the living room.

WE REALLY NEED SOME PLANTS. SOME BIG PLANTS.

PHONE SERVICE IN THE DIGITAL AGEJerry called Vodafone this morning at 10:20. We still don't have that land line, which Jerry was told would be live last Friday. The rep said he couldn't reach his colleague and would call Jerry back in a half hour to hour. After four and a half hours — I wonder if Vodafone considers that within the promised range — I called Vodafone again.

NOT ALL SETTLED, BUT NO MORE MESS. I AM HAPPIER.

This time, I spoke with someone I can only describe as a "dim bulb." He didn't understand what I was unhappy about. (Other than the fact that we have not been given a phone number, can't use our land line, were told we would receive a text message a week ago that would initiate our service, and that someone would call us back this morning?) He finally said he would have to contact the technical department. I asked if he was going to ensure that someone would call me back this time, since we were told the same thing at 10:20. I asked twice and he never gave me a direct answer. So, in a couple of hours, I'm going to stroll over to the Vodafone store yet again to visit with my friends there. What is absolutely reassuring is that this, and our initial problems with our Digital+ television service, have nothing to do with my language skills. Also, I have absolutely no doubt that we will NOT have land line phone service again this weekend. Jerry is kindly concerned, especially after my meltdown last night, that maybe I shouldn't bother with Vodafone anymore today. We'll see.

To make ourselves feel better, we did a bit more decorating of the walls. In addition to "Flamenca," we put up some brass sconces we've had for more than 20 years — purchased when we lived in Connecticut and one of our friends owned a Baldwin Brass shop in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. We had already put up a couple of antique sconces purchased in Georgetown in the '80s from our friend Carol, who owned an antique store there. (That's where the pub table came from.)

THE FRENCH CHEF Also, we have a set of framed needlepoint dish towels made for Jerry by his Norwegian grandmother when Jerry turned 21. Rather than use them, we had them framed not long after we met. They have been displayed in every one of our kitchens and are now at home in Sevilla. The towels are in the tradition of a different activity for each day of the week (i.e., a day for washing, ironing, darning socks, shopping, cooking, serving dinner, and resting). We had two sets. The other was of a red rooster performing each daily task. The thing we really love about the set we kept — other than the fact that they were made with love for Jerry by his grandmother — is that they are of a chef (obviously French; you can tell by the mustaches) wearing what look like fishnet stockings!

David:Thanks. We haven't found ourselves nesting yet. But it will come soon. As for JLH: We had never seen the show until coming to Spain. The only English-language TV channel we could get in the hotel was Fox. And there was "Ghost Whisperer." We actually enjoyed the first couple of episodes, but it and she really started to get to us. I don't know... maybe it was the fact that they showed 7 episodes in a row... every day.